Over the years, demographic information has been used for a variety of purposes. For example, demographic information may be used to analyze and identify patterns in consumer behavior, which may be useful for various types of business decisions. Marketing or advertising may be directed to specific audiences that are likely to be interested in the goods or services advertised, based on their demographic profiles.
Demographic information characterizes a population within a certain area, and comprises information such as the age, income or ethnic group composition, or male/female ratio. Other types of information, such as preferences, interests and consumer behavior are also useful for various purposes. Conventionally, demographic information is obtained through population census, polls or surveys. The United States Census Bureau (USCB), among other similar international bodies and commercial enterprises, collect and distribute demographic information.
Demographic information is typically averaged over a long period of time and/or large area. Furthermore, the information tends to be static and does not take into account of short-term movement of people. As such, demographic information may not accurately characterize people at a geographical location. This may lead to incorrect or outdated business decisions.
From the foregoing discussion, it is desirable to gather and correlate demographic information which more accurately reflects or characterizes people within a geographical location.